5 GUM
When Mars Wrigley Confectionery US ran a campaign to test vertical video ads in Instagram Stories, the results proved that this ad placement provided an 11% lift in product sales.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery—a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated—is the world’s leading manufacturer of chocolate, chewing gum, mints and fruity confections. The company employs over 34,000 people, operates in about 70 countries and distributes its world-famous brands in over 180 countries.
lift in household penetration across all ad placements
lift in sales with ads in Instagram Stories alone
people reached overall
Mars Wrigley Confectionery wanted to test-run vertical video ads in Instagram Stories as a proof-of-concept and, ultimately, boost in-store gum sales and household penetration.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery has traditionally run much of its advertising campaigns on TV to allow for a longer story arc to drive sales. In recent years, however, it has also wanted to optimize its social content. So, in recognition of changes in how consumers are using and behaving on digital platforms, it was one of the first advertisers to test ads in Instagram Stories.
The company first edited down its “Life in 5” TV spot promoting the 5 Gum Peppermint Cobalt flavor into several shorter mobile-first video ads. Then, it set up a Nielsen Catalina Solutions study, which tested 2 groups of ads—one using full-screen vertical video ads in Instagram Stories and the other consisting of video ads in Facebook and Instagram feed.
The video ad creative—which ran across both groups—opened with upfront branding and product shots, and then a text overlay asked the viewer a thought-provoking question. This was followed by a fast-cut 5-second countdown to a potentially life-altering scenario, such as whether to get a tattoo or lean in for a first kiss.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery showed the ads to a broad audience of US adults aged 18–49. Results of this campaign—which ran for 8 weeks in February and March 2018—were determined using data from the Nielsen Catalina Solutions study, which revealed:
9.4% lift in household penetration across all ad placements
11% lift in sales with ads in Instagram Stories alone
24 million people reached overall